First and Last Name/s of Presenters

Participation Type

Title of Poster or Paper

Mentor/s

Professor Colleen Butler-Sweet

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Location

University Commons

Start Day/Time

4-20-2018 1:00 PM

End Day/Time

4-20-2018 3:00 PM

Abstract

While once a phenomenon concentrated to poor families, grandparents co-parenting grandchildren is becoming increasingly common in contemporary American society across class categories. There are ranges of reasons why grandparents are finding themselves in a parenting role including dual earner parents who are working more often, single parents needing extra help, or young parents who are overwhelmed by parenting responsibilities. While there is an increasing body of literature exploring the impacts of grandparent centered kinship care on children, there is comparatively little research focused on the impact of co-parenting on grandparents who transition into helping raise their grandchildren just a few years after having finished raising their own children. Based on 10 in depth semi-structured interviews with grandmothers who are co-parenting their grandchildren, this study addresses the effects on grandmothers who have assumed this additional caregiving role. Findings indicate that, while they face a change in their lives, grandparents co-parenting grandchildren report high levels of happiness and satisfaction with their role. Moreover, the majority of respondents reported an improvement in their health, citing the increased levels of physical and mental activity they engage in while caring for their grandchildren.

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Apr 20th, 1:00 PMApr 20th, 3:00 PM

Grandmothers Raising their Grandchildren

University Commons

While once a phenomenon concentrated to poor families, grandparents co-parenting grandchildren is becoming increasingly common in contemporary American society across class categories. There are ranges of reasons why grandparents are finding themselves in a parenting role including dual earner parents who are working more often, single parents needing extra help, or young parents who are overwhelmed by parenting responsibilities. While there is an increasing body of literature exploring the impacts of grandparent centered kinship care on children, there is comparatively little research focused on the impact of co-parenting on grandparents who transition into helping raise their grandchildren just a few years after having finished raising their own children. Based on 10 in depth semi-structured interviews with grandmothers who are co-parenting their grandchildren, this study addresses the effects on grandmothers who have assumed this additional caregiving role. Findings indicate that, while they face a change in their lives, grandparents co-parenting grandchildren report high levels of happiness and satisfaction with their role. Moreover, the majority of respondents reported an improvement in their health, citing the increased levels of physical and mental activity they engage in while caring for their grandchildren.

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